At Least One Carrier and Two Subs Affected by Newport News Weld Defects

The U.S. Navy has identified three vessels affected by faulty welding work at Huntington Ingalls Newport News (HII), and has concluded that the faults have no operational impact. 

So far, the vessels with known weld defects are the carrier USS George Washington, attack sub USS Hyman G. Rickover and attack sub USS New Jersey. All three vessels are reportedly safe for continued duty.

News broke last week that certain Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) workers at Newport News had deviated from procedure when welding on U.S. Navy ships and submarines. The faulty work was intentional and "some welders knowingly circumvented certain welding procedures," but it is believed that it was not malicious, HII said. The shipbuilder self-reported the incident to the Navy and the Department of Justice, and an investigation into the circumstances is under way. 

None of the questionable welding work was on components that affect operations or safety, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told the House and Senate armed services committees in a letter Thursday. The fault came down to "welders who did not follow welding procedures properly," and Naval Sea Systems Command has determined that the ships are still safe to operate, he confirmed. 

The Navy is still assessing another 23 vessels that were recently repaired or are currently in construction to see if there may have been any other ships affected. Del Toro added that "the Navy is evaluating all legal options."

HII is cooperating with the investigation and continues to evaluate the impact of these workers' deficient welding practices. "We immediately put together a team made up of both internal and independent engineering and quality subject matter experts to determine the root causes, bound the issue and put in place immediate short-term corrective actions as we work through longer-term solutions," said HII Newport News President Jennifer Boykin in a statement last week.